UXPA Boston Conference 2016

The UX field is exploding with an ever increasing demand and there is also a plethora of UX talent. But not all talent is equal. Hiring in the hot UX market today is analogous to committing to a long-term relationship based off of a meeting in a speed-dating event. In both cases, the result is often hit or miss. This talk will encourage managers to be strategic in the rat race that UX talent hiring has become. It will propose the use of design thinking and methods to differentiate themselves to the discerning candidates and also equip their team with top-notch UX talent.

Design and research thinking can be applied to not just evaluate and compare UX talent but also come up with ways of involving the internal product and UX teams to collaboratively but objectively point towards a decision.

Contrary to what most people start with, the first ‘design artifact’ in the ‘hiring design project’ is not the job description. Instead the hiring manager goes through a requirements gathering phase spanning unmet product needs; existing skill set gaps of the team; balancing personality traits and also taking personal preference into account. These requirements then translate into a ‘proto-persona’ of the ideal candidate. A targeted job description can now be written to attract this type of candidate.

Several practical tips will be shared in the talk to cover the various aspects of the hiring process - for e.g, tips about establishing the all important relationship of the hiring manager and the recruiting staff; the definition of a design exercise etc. The talk will also propose the use of objective research measurement techniques to evaluate and compare candidates. The presenter will share an example of a comparative rating scale that can serve to objectively aggregate the ratings of all the people involved in the interview process.

Ultimately, the hiring manager still uses their judgment to make the final call but this considered approach allows for clear thinking and rationalizes the decision and allows it to be shared to the extent necessary.